Carleton University students are concerned as Prescott House enters its seventh day without access to safe drinking water.
On Jan. 16, a water main break occurred near the Minto CASE building, shutting off all water in Prescott House and Mackenzie Building.
Water was restored to those buildings on Jan. 19, but the university said tap water is still “not safe” for consumption.
“Occupants may notice the water is discoloured or has different flows,” a Jan. 19 statement from the university read.
“Water samples have been sent for testing, and the water remains NOT potable and should not be consumed,” read a statement from Steven Reid, Carleton’s media relations officer.
He added housing has been in communication with Prescott residents “at least twice a day.”
Reid’s statement did not address questions posed by the Charlatan, including whether consuming the water poses known health risks.
Students were advised to access washrooms on the second floor of Teraanga Commons and showers in Athletics. Water bottles were provided in lounges and water bottle filling stations are located in Teraanga Commons (formerly Residence Commons).
Rachel Kwok,* a third-year journalism student with a physical disability, says she was left without access to a shower when Prescott students were directed to shower in Athletics.
Kwok said she requires assistance from an attendant to shower and could not access those services in the Athletics building showers.
“Attendant services doesn’t go to Athletics,” Kwok said. “My roommate and I had to be the ones to reach out to housing.
“It felt like [my access] was an afterthought.”
Kwok said she eventually able to access a shower in Leeds House on Jan. 17, but the process was a “very complicated thing.”
“We’re very grateful that [housing services was] able to open up a space for me and my roommate,” she said. “But that shouldn’t have been something that we had to ask for.”
Kwok added she was surprised the university did not deploy its emergency alert system to notify students that the water was not safe for consumption.
“There was some sort of miscommunication or missing link,” she said. “It’s baffling to me that they have this system to alert students, and it wasn’t being used.”
The Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) issued a statement on Jan. 19 via Instagram.
“We understand the inconvenience and frustration posed by the water outage in Prescott House and are in constant communication with Residence Life Services to help provide regular updates,” the statement read.
Kamran Azizli, a third-year criminology student, said he has heard negative feedback from students regarding the university’s response to the outage.
Azizli is currently on leave from his duties as RRRA president due to his candidacy for Carleton University Students’ Association president.
“The last couple days, as I walk around, all I see are students approaching me and mentioning how there’s essentially no water in Prescott building and many of them had to take showers in their friends’ places in other residences,” he said.
“Even residence fellows would approach me and mention the issue.”
He said students’ frustrations were related to the limited resources provided by Residence Life Services.
The statement advises students to visit the ResDesk in Teraanga Commons for access to laundry services.
“When people cannot take showers, they cannot wash their faces, they can’t do a lot of things, giving them one water bottle doesn’t really make a difference,” Azizli said.
“Results of the water testing are expected by Wednesday,” Reid’s statement added. “An update will be provided once information becomes available.”
Reid’s statement did not estimate when full water service will be restored.
*Rachel Kwok has contributed to the Charlatan. Featured image by Faith Greco/The Charlatan.
